Surrounded with Angels
by Naomii382
Summary: Eighteen years passed since the Judgement Day. Lucifer is up to something, the angels and humans have to fight every single day with demons, and Afriel (with an exctigin Audrey and a not-so-happy Gabriel) is sent to the Earth to help Michael protecting the Messiah. M for mature content.


With every battle he's choosing  
With every fight he's losing  
His enemy is not far behind

_Across the Line_ by Linkin Park

Eighteen years have passed since the Dogs of Heaven were released, since Archangel Michael fell and rose, since the New Messiah was born. One would think that it's peace all over the world now – but in fact, it's quite the opposite. The reason is simple: angels and demons.

The angels were called back to Heaven right after Michael and Gabriel returned. God wanted to leave the mankind in peace, wanted the Messiah to grow up and do his duty. The people would have probably learned from their mistakes, maybe they could have reached the Ideal Society, with no war, no cruelty and no jealousy. The greater part of the angels obeyed, but sadly there were still a lot of them who have changed their way of thinking while they were on Earth – not quite by themselves.

Lucifer always liked to play tricks on Him.

He was locked in Hell, the angels (especially Michael) made sure of it – but he had demons, oceans of demons that willingly ravaged the world at the behest of him. They were creatures of all the bad things humans could imagine; their only desire was to see blood, agony, fear and pain, they loved causing chaos for the own good of chaos. Lucifer and his army was the biggest problem of all, most angels feared his mere name.

Personally, I felt true disguise and anger towards him, though I have knew him thousands of years ago, when he was really a _shining star_.

Back to the story. Lucifer, of course, heard about what happened upstairs, about the extermination, and I think he laughed – that was nothing compared to what he could've done if he'd be free. But he wasn't. So he sent demons and fallen angels to destroy what they can, and start something big, something worse.

He wanted his own, real Apocalypse.

Not a single angel, not even God knew what he planned exactly. He was locked in Hell with hundreds of seals (six hundred sixty six exactly), and though he surely got loads of souls (demons stole the souls of those who was killed by them), but he also lost loads of his own servants – the armies of Heaven fought them, of course. Then what was the point? In the Heaven one thing was surely known – Lucifer, on some purpose, wanted the Messiah for himself, and he would have done anything to get him.

That's why Michael was sent back to Earth five years ago, to be around him, to protect him, to teach him. He became the Messiah's (who was named Matthew, which means gift of the Lord) own bodyguard, if you like.

He was there 24/7, killed anything what wanted to hurt him and his family, years passed, but still, nobody knew what Lucifer wanted – he wanted to break free, we knew that, but… How so? In what way? At what price? Why now? Why would he wan the Messiah? It was only a small part of the puzzle, but he wanted Matt, and Michael, the greatest warrior of all, was accredited with the role of protector. Not that it would have been against his will.

He got news from Heaven every day from someone visiting from above (what, you're not surprised, are you? Guess you thought angels can read minds or have a super e-mailing program between them – they do not), but as the years passed, it became difficult and dangerous, too. It was full of demonic threat; the creatures of Hell moved easier between worlds then among humans, thus they attacked anyone the way out of Heaven, not one angel was killed there.

That's how I came into the picture. 

"Are you sure about this?" I asked frowning, my voice and look full of doubt and confusion. I looked up at the angel standing next to me then looked back at the sky and clouds ahead. We were standing at the edge of a strangely dark building; it was kind of used as a headquarter for the angelic armies.

Uriel, who was standing next to me, nodded. "It is His will. You have to go to the Earth, join our brother, and stand ready to promptly report all important messages. You are the only one who is able of this, you know that."

"Oh, yes, I know" I sighed, like a human schoolgirl when she was told to study. " But still… What about the Tree of Life? I can't just let it there in its own, you know! What if something comes, while my belly gets tan in the desert? Something, anything! Demons! Drought! Termites! Dentists…!"

"Are you trying to be funny again?" Uriel asked with one eyebrow raised, not even one hair moved, though the air up above could be quite windy, I had to tuck my hair behind my ear every minute. I don't know how he does what he does all the time (being like marble statue), but it was a specialty of his own. "It's your duty to do as Father says. If He says go down on Earth, then you obey immediately. If He says to leave your post, then you will. There are other angels guarding it anyway, and your favorite things to do is read, eat and 'have fun', whether you are in Heaven or not. I don't think that your absence would leave a large hole in the machinery up here."

"You could have told me that you won't miss me in a little bit kinder way" I said then folded my arms in front of my chest. I wouldn't admit so, but he was right: I played an important role among the angels but it was also highly periodic. That's why I started to study humans, to pass the time, and during the years I took over some of their habits, like napping, funny tricking, and love for food. Angels don't need to eat, but after a battle or something (which are like always, especially recently, thanks to Lucifer), our energy level is reduced, and eating quickens the refill. Same goes for sleeping – don't need to, but we can, and often do; every angel is capable of dreaming, and sink into a dream world can be very comforting after a rough battle. Otherwise, it is quite stunning to live the same day for forever.

"I do not understand why you wouldn't want to go anyway" Uriel said in monotone voice, completely ignoring my sulking. "You're always complaining about Michael being far away. Now you can be with him. That is what you want, right?"

I bit my lip. "Sure." I was happy to be able to meet Michael again, I wasn't uncertain because of it. I questioned my ability to carry out this task.

To understand this, you have to know something – I'm Metatron. Oh, and by the way, I'm a (female) archangel, too. Not one of the famous four (Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael), I'm not even one of the highest ranking, or the oldest. My rank is only higher then angels, but Principalities, Powers, Virtues and Dominions are far above be, not to mention Thrones, Cherubs and Seraphs; I'm just a simple archangel, with lower-case a.

I mean, I was.

Not so long before the Judgment Day, maybe few thousand years earlier, I really still was an archangel who fought in His army. There were lots of others like me. My general was Michael, the Archangel (with uppercase A), I often spent my time with Raphael in the library or the healing quarters, and I fought with Gabriel many times – he didn't enjoy my company, really. He always had been sour and rigid, and I'm, well, much more fun to be around, I guess.

I'm not good at melee, I never was, but I'm a very good spy and archer. That was my role, covering the others from above. Once I tried using a sword, and ended up Michael saving me – that was the turning point of my immortal existence. Shortly afterwards we became lovers.

Yes, angels can have relationships. Why would God forbid that? If it comes from true love, and not interferes with our things to do, it's a really good and motivating thing. With God's permission, we were together freely; we even had some kind of marriage after three hundred years, maybe (I can't remember exactly). Of course, it's nothing like humans marriage, no priest, no church, no wedding, no papers. It's fully spiritual. We weren't the first one doing it, there were other bond-mates among the angels (like my best friend Anahita, she's the angel of fertility, and the sweetest person you'll ever meet, and Nathaniel, the angel of fire), but we were the best known because of Michael's rank. And, even after centuries, I still can't believe it.

I mean, hey, he's the first angel God ever created, and the most powerful, too! My role was nothing compared to his. We could say he was the embodied dreams of all the female angels (not so far from human nature, right?), being caring, strong, wise, bright, kind, loving, and handsome too, though all of the angels are perfect in a way or another. I loved and still love everything in him, and he states the same about me, everything was perfect for couple of centuries.

Then Metatron disappeared.

He was on a mission, when he suddenly was gone, and we still don't know if he died, or Lucifer is keeping him in Hell as a prisoner; we tried to find him, but eventually failed. Even God didn't know where Metatron was, but he surely knew something: we needed someone in his place - and he picked me. I received all the ability of his, telepathy, teleportation, healing, mind reading,… I'm still learning how to use them fully, harder then one would think, even for an archangel. One day maybe I'll even be capable of mental manipulation, cosmic awareness, element manipulation, reality warping, chronokinesis, and what not, but I'm not strong enough yet.

Some said I was only chosen because I was Michael's lover, and everyone knew he meant a lot to Father, but they did not dare to argue Him and his decisions. Michael, and Ana, and Raphael, even Gabriel (my best pal, heh) said I should not listen to the whispers; I just have to prove I'm the right one for the post. But I did not have any chance since then, only little "works", they did not really matter.

That's why I was afraid of going to Earth. This task was really, really big, and I feared I would fail. I could not stand it. _But I must do it!_ I thought. _For my own good as well as Michaels and Metatrons._

"When do I leave?" I asked finally, waking up from my thoughts.

"Right now" came the answer instantly from Uriel. I looked up at him in disbelief.

"What?! Now?! I'm not ready! I mean, my feathers are a real mess, I have to feed my guinea pig, and I already promised Audrey to help get her wings."

"Audrey?" Uriel asked surprised. "The girl who died when he jumped on Gabriel in the car?"

"Yes." I was the one who brought her soul to Heaven, and since then we became kind of friends. I was responsible for ensuring her way to become a guardian angel as she wanted to. Every good soul who comes to Heaven has the right to become an angel, but they have to provide their loyalty and suitability for their wings.

Uriel seemed to be thinking hard on something before he finally said: "You can take her with you."

I could not believe my ears, and felt like I know nothing at all.

"What?" I asked again, but did not wait for the answer. "What should she do down there? It's dangerous, even for me! She could be permanently destroyed! I can't watch over her, nor can Michael. Our task is to keep the Messiah safe, though we're short-handed to this alone."

If he would've been capable of doing that, Uriel would've smiled. "You think He would send you alone? You can take a warrior with you. We can't risk loosing you; two Metatron is more than enough."

"I can take a warrior? With me?" I asked. I was surprised, there was war at out doorstep, and I thought every single angel who can fight is indispensable. But then I thought over again, and realized it was really logical – the demons wanted Matthew, the war was all set in his immediate vicinity.

"Yes."

"Anyone?"

"Yes, but you must chose a powerful one, who can protect you, and help Michael with the Messiah."

A huge, playful grin spread across my lips. 

"You. Are. A. Savage. Arrogant. Lazy. Selfish. Vengeful. Little. Creature." Gabriel said, nearly spat the worlds. We were walking in the middle of nowhere, heading to the camp where the Messiah was, and we did not fly simply because I said so, and Gabriel could not leave me alone since his order was to guard me. He hated walking long distances, it made him feel almost human, inferior, and I knew that, that's why I did it. Why? Because out friendship was based on heckling, and he made me drop my cake a few days ago, when he suddenly appeared out of the blue.

"And you are an aggressive, belligerent, unkind, moody, harsh, overcritical old man." I shrugged and then looked up at the sky. Vaguely, but I could see the stars, and tried to judge by those if we're going to the right direction. Then I realized I do not know anything about stars, except the fact that they are really pretty at night, so started to play with my dress's belt instead. I really enjoyed his furiosity and did not even try to hide my grin.

Neither did Audrey. "Yup. A grumpy, narrow-minded bunch of feathers, leather and metal "she said.

I saw on his face that he tried not to say something very nasty. "Why is _she_ here, anyway? Why am _I_ here anyway? And what are _you_ doing here?"

"She is here because she wanted to come with us, plus, she need to prove her aptitude to be an angel. You are here, because I love you and your naughty little face… "He gritted his teeth in anger, while Audrey tried not to laugh – they also loved each other, especially because of him killing her", and also, you are powerful enough to slaughter dozens of demons with one sword strike, not to mention your ability to fight with Michael in complete harmony. And I am here, because I'm the Metatron right now, the only archangel being able to get messages from Heaven in Earth by thoughts. And I ran out of gummy bears."

From then he obstinate and only marched silently behind us, arms folded, muttering angrily under his breath. He was always like this since I can remember, cold and intolerant, but I have to admit, he's doing his job perfectly, relentlessly serves God, deal with the demons, and loves mankind, from afar, at least.

"Are you excited?" I asked Audrey, her brown hair messed up with my blonde in the wind. "You haven't seen Charlie, Jeep, and Matt since seventeen years."

"Sure I am" she smiled like a child waiting for a big surprise. "I haven't aged in Heaven, but they did, Matt grew up… Oh my God, he was just a baby! Do you know what he looks like?"

"Nay. I looked down at him when Michael was sent there, he was still a kid then, with brown hair and blue eyes. Guess he changed."

"I'm so excited! I mean, he's the Messiah, I fought then died for him… Hope he's handsome at least…" She smiled, and I immediately knew she was having naughty visions right now.

"Well, I cannot comment on this" I grinned.

"Why? You're so loyal to your whatever-Michael-is-for-you, that you can't even look at other man?" Audrey asked, and I could say she enjoyed the thought of chastely faithful me. But I had to disappoint her.

"It's not because of my loyalty towards him" I shook my head. "When two angels bond, they connect their soul. After that, no other creature, either angel or human can impress, interest, amuse and love you as much as your mate. I simply can't feel attraction towards anyone else." It sounded really sappy romantic for me, I never was a blonde princess with the need of live happily ever after. But now that I had the chance, it felt really, really hilarious and made me wait for a real Paradise, without any kind of war. I couldn't even imagine the universe without the demons threatening.

"That's so incredibly sweet! Being in love for eternity… " She surely seemed to be enjoying the idea. "Kind of smells like chick-flick, but still. Ain't it awesome to have someone who loves you more then French like having sex?"

At this point, Gabriel froze. I laughed loudly – he was a jerk, sure, but he was also so unbelievably innocent when it came to intimate ways, act or words alone that made me think about whether he ever saw a female naked or in undergarments. By the way – angels can have sex too but rather (or always) make love instead. Lust alone does not exist in our dictionary; it's just an inherent feeling of love; though angels can desire love and lust… Little bit complicated, ain't it?

"When you'll get your wings, you'll find someone for you. " I said, and though I knew it sounded really platitudinous, butit was the right thing to say. "

"You're that sure?" Gabriel asked with cynicism in his voice. I turned to him and looked in his eyes (which was a hard thing to do as he was at least a head and a half taller then me.

"I'm as sure as God made little green apples. "

"I never understood that saying." A masculine voice said from behind me. Gabriel automatically reached for his sword but did not pull it out from its scabbard. When I turned around I realized why – there stood two human, a young girl, maybe fifteen years old, and an early middle-aged man without any kind of weapon. They meant no threat to us.

"Who are you?" The man asked. I knew he did not mean what are you; in the past years angels appeared recently among peoples, killing demons, fighting for good, etc. The humans kinda became accustomed to the sight of wings.

"You can guess twice" Gabriel said with narrowed eyes. The man snorted.

"I know who you are. You're Gabriel. Killed my father." Why does everyone recognize Gabriel because he had killed someone? "But who are you?" He pointed towards us.

"I'm Afriel, archangel. And she is Audrey, an angel-to-be. She's…"

"Audrey?" he asked, and really seemed that he knows someone by this name. "Audrey Anderson? From Paradise Falls?"

Audrey and I looked at him in surprise. How does he know her surname? Then I finally realized what Gabriel had much earlier – he was the step-father of the Messiah.

"Jeep?" I asked and he nodded. "Well, it was much easier to find you then I thought. Do you know if there are any panda in the Earth after all this stuff, extermination and demons? I would visit one in my free time."

"Well, the Big Brother Guy there said we should ask you out, shouldn't believe our eyes, you can be demons, but…" Jeep started in a hesitating and unsure voice. "You really are Afriel. We've been told about your… your… "I looked at him with a big grin on my lips and a questioningly raised eyebrow. He was too polite to say whatever he wanted, and I had to try really hard not to laugh. "Never mind. It is really you. We were sent to lead you to the camp… Why did you not fly, by the way?"

"Because of the cookie" I shrugged, and then after we said nothing else, he scratched the back of his head. I could say there was a "What the hell?" kind of question in his look, but he said nothing, waved to the girl, who went forward. Jeep began to talk with Audrey and I did not want to disturb them, so (though Gabriel seemed very tempting for a company with his sullen face and icy look) I walked beside the girl.

"Hello, little one. What's your name?" I asked as kindly as I could. Politeness is not a trait of mine, despite the fact that I'm an angel. I can be very nice if I want, but being nice and sweet all the time is hard for me, but she looked really amiable with her long, curly brown hair and blue eyes and cheerful smile.

"Jamie. I'm Matthew's sister, we have the same mother, and he is my father" she gestured towards Jeep, who said something like "You've changed a lot" to Audrey. "And you are Afriel?"

"Yes."

"The archangel?"

"Yes."

"The Metatron?" She surely was prepared.

"I'm afraid of."

"Michael's mate?" And curious too.

"He tried to stop us" I pointed at Gabriel with my thumb but did not turn around to see if he's listening. Actually he did, because I heard a snort.

"Do you have to use condom?" she asked in such an ordinary chatting tone as if she had asked about the weather. "I mean, are you even capable of being pregnant? The bible says all the angels were made by God, but it also says that they are genderless, and still you are a female… The bible is kind of sexist. My mother always says to use condom, but then I remind her she did not use any when he get pregnant with my brother, and she saved the humanity with that. Does using condoms make sense at all? There's freaking Apocalypse coming, and already half of the humanity died, if not more, so what is the point? If you ask me, everyone should have sex all day long to populate the Earth. I would, but I'm still sixteen years old, and my brother and father are overprotective, not to mention the fluffy black metal-chicken, who always asks me to use my brain and start think before I talk. And to use napkin. And not to eat chocolate before dinner. God, it's like I'm having two father! I hope now he'll only molest you and Matt with his principles…"

It started to seem to be a _very_ long journey.


End file.
